Car-fender



(No Model.)

' H. D. FISHER.

OAR FENDER.

- No. 569,624 Patented 001;. 20, 1896.

l: L A

mrzz .0521

WitnesSe Inventor.

AMI. W V

Attorney.

UNITED STATES PATENT EEicE,

IIOW'ARD D. FISHER, OF READING, PENNSYLVANIA.

CAR-FENDER.

SPEGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 569,624, dated October20, 1896.

Application filed July 1, 1896. Serial No. 597,662. (No model.)

To aZZ 1072,0722, it nut-y concern..-

Be it known that l, HOWARD D. FISHER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Reading, county of Berks, State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented certain Improvements in Car- Fenders, of which the following isa specification.

My invention relates particularly to fenders for street-cars, and isfully described in connection with the accompanying drawings and thenovel features specifically pointed out in the claim.

Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of a fender embodying myimprovements, the front netting being represented as raised. Fig. 2 is apartial plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a partial view of the end ofthe fender corresponding with Fig. 1, but showing the front nettinglowered and the frame caught by the spring-catch.

A represents the end of a car-body, and B indicates one of a pair offender-connecting bars which are rigidly secured thereto. These bars aretransversely serrated, as shown at b and b, to engage correspondingserrations c c on bars 0, forming part of the fender, and which areattached to the bars 13 by means of clamping-bolts 0 0 which passthrough slots in the bars 0, so as to permit the latter to be set at agreater or less height, as may be required.

The fender-frame D may be provided with side nettings E of any ordinaryconstruction and also with a rear bottom netting F. The novel featuresof my construction are at the forward end and comprise a front nettingor guardframe G, pivoted at g to the side bars (Z of the fender-frame, anetting g fiXed to the end 9 of said pivoted frame and also to the endof the fender-frame, springs 11, arranged to normally raise the pivotedframe to the position indicated in Fig. 1, one end of said springs beingfixed at 7L to the fenderframe and the other, h, attached to the pivotednetting-frame, and an automatic looking and releasing mechanism for thelatter, whereby it will be released by the falling upon the fender of asufficiently weighty body and raised so as to prevent the latter fromrolling off. This lookin g and-releasin g mechanism includes, as shown,a pair of springcatches K, which are fixed to the front crosspiece (1 ofthe fender-frame and are formed with shoulders is, adapted to catch theend bar g of the pivoted frame G when the latter is forcibly lowered,the bar G first striking the inclined top 76 of the spring-stop andbending backward until the catch assumes the locking position indicatedin Fig. 3.

The forward portion of the fender bottom consists of averticallyunovable section M, which is pivoted at one end to thefenderframe, while the other free end is connected by chains or rods kto the spring-catches K, so as to be normally raised by the latter aboveits seat upon the fender-frame at d, as shown in Fig. 3. When applied toa car, the front netting g is therefore ordinarily folded down upon thefender-frame, and if a person be struck by the latter he will naturallyfall upon the movable bottom plate M, the resulting depressing of whichwill withdraw the spring-catches K from their engagement of thenetting-frame G, thus allowing the latter to be raised by the springs Huntil the netting g forms a barrier to insure the retention of theperson upon the fender. This arrangement therefore avoids the seriousdanger of rolling off before the car can be stopped, as is ordinarilylikely to occur, and renders the fender far more valuable as a safetydevice.

That I claim is-- A car-fender comprising a frame having horizontal sidebars and end cross-bar, anetting or guard-frame pivoted at its rear endbetween said side bars and having its free forward end connected to saidcross-bar by a folding material, a spring to normally raise saidguard-frame, a spring-catch to lock the same when in lowered position,and a pivoted section of fender inclosed by said guardframe andconnected to said spring-catch so as to automatically operate the latteras required, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HOWARD D. FISHER. Vitnesses W. G. STEWART, ADAM L. OTTERBEIN.

